Power-transmitter.



I No. 810,780- PATENTED JAN. 23, 1906.

w. a v. LORENG.

POWER TRANSMITTER. APPLICATION FILED D120. 24, 1901. RENEWED MAY;27. 1905 PATENTED JAN. 23

W. & V. LORENG. POWER TRANSMITTER. APPLICATION mLn'n D110. 24, 1901. RENEWED MAY 27. 1905.

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PATENTED JAN. 23; 1906 W. & V. LORENG. POWER TRANSMITTER.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 24, 1901. RENEWED MAY 27, 1905.

INVENTORS.

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PATENTED JAN. 23, 1906.

W attozmu s W. & V. LORENO.

POWER TRANSMITTER APPLICATION FILED no. 24, 1901. RENEWED MAY 27. 1905.

power transmitting devices Parana orrron.

HUNGARY.

POWER-TRANSEWETTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 23, 1906.

Application filed December 24, 1901. Renewed May 2'7, 1906. Serial No. 262,683.

To all 1071 0711, it nuty concern:

Be it known that we, WLADIMIR LORENC and Vroron LORENG, engineers, residing at Budapest, Austria-Hungary, have invented new and useful Improvements in Power- Transmitters, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to an improved power-transmission mechanism.

The object of our invention is to provide a power-transmission device by which a driving member making periodical movements in constant intervals of time and capable of giving a constant amount of energy at each periodic movement can be used to overcome a varying resistance.

Our invention differs radically from the heretofore known, as will be clear from the following expl anation In the old forms of power-transmitting devices the prime mover or driving member has at all times a connection to the driven member of suohkind that there is at all times a constant load on the said prime mover, which is assumed to move at a constant speed under such constant load. By the old forms of variable-power-transmission devices merely the ratio of power transmission is changed in Y such a way that the speed of the driven memher multiplied by the force given to it is, neglecting friction, at all times equal to the speed of the driving member multiplied by the force which said driving member possesses. In our invention however, while the driving member makes each periodical movement in the same interval of time and the total work done at each periodical movement is constant still the rate of doing such work is not necessarily constant during the different portions of a single period. As is Well known, any prime mover or-driving member when in operation has a certain kinetic energy represented by the equation K MV in which K equals kinetic energy, M equals mass of the moving parts, and V equals velocity of the moving parts. The force necessary to absorb this kinetic energythat is to say, the.

force necessary to stop the prime mover or driving memberwill vary inversely with the time during which it resists the prime mover ordriving member. For example, if a force of ten pounds applied for one second will stop a prime mover then to stop it in one-tenth of a modification of our invention;

hundred pounds, or, in other words, if the prime mover will just overcome a resistance of ten pounds applied for one second it will overcome a resistance of one hundred pounds applied for one-tenth of a second.

In our power-transmission device the resistance is applied to the driving member dur ing a portion only of the periodical movement of such driving member, the duration of the application being an inverse function of the resistance. During the remaining portion of the periodic movement of the driving memberit has an opportunity to store up its energy to be used during the succeeding periodical movement.

Our invention consists in the features, details of construction, and combination of parts, which will first be described in connection with the accompanying drawings and I then particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of one embodiment of our invention; Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5, similar views illustrating modifications of our invention; Fig. 6, a detail perspective of another Fig. 7, a similar view of still a further embodiment of the invention; Fig. 8, a side elevation, partly in section, illustrating the manner of applyin one form of our invention; Fig. 9, a sectiona view of another embodiment of our invention; Fig. 10, a similar view of still another modification, and Fig. 11 an end view of the same.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, which illustrates a simple embodiment of the invention particularly suitable for concrete illustrationof the fundamental principles of our scribed hereinafter, j ournaled in bearings in dicated in section at a. The shaft is provided at each end with a crank-arm, as shown at B and C, respectively. In the present example the crank-arm C is shown as provided with a pawl D, arranged to coact with the ratchetteeth 6, formed on the interior face of a wheel E, to which wheel it is assumed the load or resistance tobe overcome is applied in any suitable manner as, for example, by placing a belt over the outer face of the Wheel E and around a pulley on the machine to be driven, which belt and the pulley which it drives are not shown. The crank-arm B is intended to be oscillated through a constant arc and with a constant force by any suitable motor, (not shown,) the arm B being provided with a wrist-pin b, to which the motor is connected. The arm B in moving through its arc makes a periodical movementthat is to say, considering one end of its arc as the initial point of movement, it moves from this initial point and back to it again.

The shaft A is not rigid, but-is a resilient member capable of a certain specific amount of distortion when subjected to a torsional strain and of returning to its initial condition when the strain is removed. It is obvious that when the said shaft is subjected to a torsional strain it will give a reactive pressure against said strain equal to said strain. Moreover, the shaft is so arranged or proportioned that it will give a maximum reactive pressure equal to the maximum strain to which it is to be subjected, with a distortion or angle of torsion substantially equal to and never less than the angular movement of the crank-arm B. If now while the crank-arm B is oscillating the crank-arm C encounters no resistance, it is obvious that, if friction be neglected, there would be no distortion of the resilient member or shaft A, and the cra'nk arm 0 would move synchronously with the crank-arm B. During the forward move ment of the crank-arm C its pawlD would engage'the ratchet-teeth e, and thereby rotate the wheel E, the angular movement of the wheel E being equal to the angular movement of the arms C and B. If, however, the crank-arm C be opposed by a resistance sufficient to hold it stationary, the crank-arm B will still make its periodical movements, but will exert its energy during its forward movement in twisting the shaft A, thus converting substantially all the kinetic energy of the driving member into potential energy, which, however, is restored to the driving member on the return stroke of the latter. Thus the kinetic energy is not lost, but when converted into potential energy is afterward reconverted into kinetic energy and used in useful work on the driving member. If the resistance to the movement of the crank-arm C be less than sufficient to hold it stationary, the movement of. the crank-arm B will have the effect of first distorting or twisting the shaft A until the reactive terminal pressure of the shaft is sufficient to overcome the resistance encountered by the arm C, whereupon the said arm 0 is moved forward through an are equal to the difference between the normal angular movement of the crank-arm B and the angular extentto which said arm B moved in distorting the shaft A to produce the desired reactive pressure. In other Words, a part of the kinetic energy of the driving member B is converted into potential energy stored in the shaft A, while the remainder of the kinetic energy of the driving member is transmitted as kinetic energy through the shaft A to the crank-arm C and is usefully employed in overcoming resistance.

The potential energy stored in the shaft A is returned to the driving member B as kinetic energy so soon as this starts on its return stroke. It is obvious, therefore, that the greater the resistance encountered by the crankarm C the shorter the are throu h which it is moved, or, in other words, t e shorter the arc through which the driving member or crank-arm B moves while subjected to such resistance. If the resistance is almost zero, the driving member is subjected to it during almost the whole time of the forward stroke of said driving member. If the resistance is almost the maximum which the driving member can overcome, the latter is subjected to said resistance only at the last portion of its forward stroke.

The resistance which the driving member encounters in twisting the shaft A is counterbalanced by the impetus which the driving member receives from the torsional reaction of said shaft on the return stroke of said driving member. Therefore, neglecting friction, the Work which the driving member has to do at each stroke is measured by the resistance and the time during which the resistance is applied to said driving member. As the time of application of said resistance is an inverse function of the resistnce, the driving member, while having a substantially constant energy, may give out this constant energy in a variable manner-that is to say, may give a large force through a small interval of space or a small force through a large interval of space. Furthermore, the variation in the conversion of power from the driving member is automatically determined by the resistance itself. It will be clear, therefore, that a construction embodying our invention comprises a driving member, a driven member, and a resilient member connected to the driving and driven members and capable of converting all the kinetic energy of the driving member into potential energy.

We are aware that it has been common heretofore to connect driving and driven members by springs or resilient members generally for the purpose of preventing the transmission of shock from one part to the other for the purpose of overcoming deadcenters and for the purpose of compensating or equalizing the unequal movements of two parts; but none, so far as we are aware,have produced a true power-transmission device by employing a resilient member having the specific properties of ours.

The above-described action can also be effected by interposing at any point whatever between the pin 1) and the periphery of the Wheel any suitable spring or a combination of such springs; but this spring or springs must, however, be of such a nature that it or they shall be capable of bearing a torsion or other elastic distortion corresponding with the full extent of oscillation of the arm B, so that the power impulses which are produced during this repeated maximum distortion shall be equal on the average to the maximum road resistance which is to be overcome. It is particularly advantageous to employ tor sion-springs, because the weight thereof is smaller than that of flexible springs with equal power capacity. The straight torsionspring when arranged in the manner indicated in Fig. 1 has the smallest moment of inertia. This circumstance is particularly important with a high speed of revolution of the motor, because the weight of springs designed for largef'powers and for the necessarily great distortion is considerable. In Fig. 2 instead of one straight torsion-spring rod three such rods A are arranged parallel. An arrangement of this kind allows the transmission of greater driving moments with the same length of spring. Fig. 3 shows instead of a straight torsion-spring a cylindrical flexi ble spring A In addition to this spring there are also rubber buffers F, which act as auxiliary springs and are not situated in the oscillating part, but allow an elastic angular displacement of the ratchet-wheel E with relation to the wheel G, which it drives through the yoke G. Thus in this case the auxiliary springs F, which are situated in the rotating part, are connected in series with the spring A situated in the oscillating part. Furthermore, a compression-spring can be used in the oscillating portion of the mechanismas shown, for example, in Fig. 4, where two compression-springs consisting of blocks of india-rubber are indicated at A intermediate the driving member B and lugs C formed in a plate or disk 0, which carries the pawl D In order to transmit the power of the driving mechanism B in its reverse stroke, one spring only may be used, asindicated at A arranged between the driving member B and a lug C on the disk C.

In Fig. 5 is shown another embodiment of our invention. In this construction B is the driving member, consisting of a rotatablymounted ring, the bearings of which are not shown, said ring having internal ratchetteeth 12 and an arm I)", provided with a pin '6 to which the prime mover maybe connected. The ratchet-teeth b of the ring B are engaged by pawls D D carried by arms C C looselymounted on an axle H, upon which are. also mounted wheels whose hubs are indicated at I I These hubs are provided with flanges 71 4?, into openings in which enter the ends of torsional rods A whose other ends enter corresponding openings in the hubs c c of the arms C C The said torsional rods or spring-bars A are preferably pivotally connected to the hubs c c and the flanges i '5 as by the pivot-pins shown at It, thus preventing undue flexure of the springbars A while at the same time permitting them to be subjected to torsion. Instead of a single oscillation there may also be employed for driving purposes two or more oscillations shifted in phase.

In the modification shown in Fig. 6 there are two separate arms C and C Whose oscillations are shifted in phase relatively to each other by preferably one hundred and eighty degrees. Each of the two arms carries a pawl D D, which pawls gear alternately in the ratchet-wheel E The arms C and C are driven by the arms B and B through the springs A and A, respectively, which are connected in any suitable manner with the arms C and C for instance, by the arms a and a, as shown in Fig. 6. The arms B and B are oscillated in opposite directions by two crank-pins keyed on the shaft at one hundred and eighty degrees apart or by a suitable bell-crank or a rocking beam; but as the mass of the driven mechanism can be made sufficient, even in the case of a single driving mechanism, to fully equalize the power impulses this arrangement is not absolutely necessary in most cases.

The construction shown in Fig. 7 differs from that of Fig. 6 in that the resilient members A A are arranged to be operated by two driving members B B connected to a common reciprocating element L.

In Figs. 8 and 9 is shown a complete device embodying our invention, in this case an internal-combustion engine being shown as the prime mover. These views illustrate a suitable arrangement of the pawls for a high speed of operation and the means for controlling their operation and for reversing their direction of operation. In these views, M indicates an engine-cylinder, m the piston, and m the piston-rod, connected to one end of an arm B, whose other end extends through an opening in a tubular axle N and is fixed to a torsional rod A mounted in bearings n within the tubular shaft N, the latter in turn being carried by suitable supports as, for example, the support indicated at O, Fig. 9. It is to be understood that the tubular axle and the torsional rod extend each way from the arm B and that at each end of the axle and rod is placed a wheel and transmitting mechanism; but in the drawings only one of such wheels and transmitting mechanisms is shown. Upon the ends of the tubular axle are mounted suitable wheels, one of which is shown at P, Fig. 9, the usual ballbearings being provided between the axle and wheels, as indicated at n. The outer face of the wheel is provided with a hub P, in which is mounted a ratchet-wheel E", having internallyarranged ratchet-teeth, as indicated at (1, Fig. 8, these teeth, however, not

-IIO

being shaped like ordinary ratchet-teeth, but merely rounded, as will be clear from said Fig. 8. The hub P is made in two parts, held together by bolts p 19 Figs. 8 and 9, one of said bolts holding the two ends of a bandbrake R, which passes around the ratchetwheel E being located within a circumferential groove in the outer periphery of said ratchet-wheel, as will be clear from Fig. 9. The band-brake serves as a friction device to lock or hold the ratchet-wheel to the hub P of the wheel P, while in case of the wheel encountering an excessive resistance the bandbrake will slip and allow the ratchet-wheel E to turn independently of the wheel. One end of the band-brake R is provided with a spring 1*, Fig. 8, in order to maintain a certain tension in the bandbrake, and thereby compensate for wear and also in order that the band-brake will slip at a less resistance upon backward movement of the ratchet-,wheel E". To the end of the torsional rod B is fixed a sleeve 0 which is journaled in a sleeve p carried by the wheel, as is clear fromFig. 9. The sleeve 0 carries an arm C having two wings or lugs 0 0, the purpose of which will be described hereinafter. The arm 0 also carries a socket 0 to which are connected the pawls D D, serving to engage the teeth of the ratchet-wheel E The pawls are pivotally mounted in the socket e and are connected with each other by elastic material, such as leather, rubber, or a steel spring 0 The free ends of the pawls project through and are fastened in spring-stirrups C by means of pins 0 Fig. 8. The two ends of each stirrup are provided with inward-projecting pins 0 which bear against the opposite sides of the ratchet-wheel E thus forming a frictional means which tends to draw the respective pawls D D into engagement with the ratchet-teeth. To each wing or lug 0 0 of the arm C is pivoted a pawl-adjusting lever S S one of which is shown in full lines in Fig. 9 and both of which are indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 8. These levers S S each have two projections s s,betweenwhich one end of the corresponding stirrup 0 is received. The opposite ends of the said levers S S are provided with pins 5 s", which enter arc-shaped slots formed in a pawl-operating rod T, (shown in dotted lines in Fig, 8 and in cross-section in Fig. 9,) this rod T having a. slot into which the end of the sleeve 0 projects, a cap it and a shoulder t on the sleeve serving to prevent lateral play of the rod T. The end of the arm B and the piston-rod m are connected by a pin m and on this pin is also journaled a connecting-rod m engaging the wrist-pin m of a crank m fixed to a shaft on, (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 8,) to which is attached a fly-wheel, (indicated in dotted lines at m Fig. 8.) The operation of this device is as follows: The engine being in opera! tion the end of the arm B is reciprocated and the crank m and its shaft and fiy-wheel are set into rotation. The oscillation of the arm B tends to cause an oscillation of the arm C and hence of the pawls D D and the levers S S If the rod T be in the position indi. cated by the dotted lines in Fig. 8, the lever S does not strike its spring -stirrup 0 Hence the pawl D will be free to engage the teeth of the ratchet-wheel during the upward motion of the arm C the friction of the corresponding springstirrup C against the faces of the ratchet-wheel serving to draw the said pawl C into positive engagement with the teeth of said ratchet-wheel, while on the backward or downward movement of the arm C the friction of the said spring-stirrup will tend to disengage the pawl C from the teeth of said ratchet wheel. During this time the projection s on the lever S will keep the spring-stirrup of the pawl D in such a position that said pawl cannot engage the ratchet-teeth. Hence the oscillation of the arm B will tend to rotate the wheel in the direction of the arrow 90, Fig. 8. If now the rod T be moved downward, the levers S and S will be swung on their pivots 0 0 and the pawl D will be thrown out of engagement, while the pawl D will be thrown into engagement, with the teeth of the ratchetwheel, so that in this way the oscillations of the arm B will tend to drive the wheel in a direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow as, Fig. 8. When the rod T is intermediate its two extreme positions thus far described, the levers S S are in their intermediate positions and both pawls D D are out of engagementwith the ratchet-teeth, and there will not be any movement of the ratchet wheel. The elastic connection 0 between the two pawls serves to cushion the shock due to the inertia of the parts when oscillating rapidly. The frictional connection between the ratchet-wheel E and the wheel P through the band-brake R serves to prevent a fracture of the parts of the driving mechanism when a resistance is applied sud' denly to the wheel or when the driving mechanism is set in operation suddenly. At the same time the friction of the band-brake is great enough to transmit the maximum power which is intended to be transmitted. It will be seen that the fly-wheel m and the other moving parts will have a certain amount of stored energy. If the wheel P encounters no resistance, there will be no distortion of the torsional spring bar or rod A, Fig. 9. If, however, the wheel P is held firmly against rotation and if the friction of the brake-band R be so great that it will not allow the ratchetwheel E to move, the engine will during its outward stroke exert its force in twisting the rod A", Fig. 9, while on the inward stroke the potential energy of the said rod A is returned to the engine as kinetic energy, tending to drive the piston m inward more rap- IIO ' acquire'on the inward stroke.

idly than it would otherwise go, and thus increasing the rotation of the crank m and flywheel m that is to say, during the forward movement of the piston the energy of the engine is converted into potential energy in the spring-rod A and this potential energy is restored to the engine during its backward stroke. WVhen the wheel P is free to move, but encounters some resistance, the springrod A is first distorted through a certain angle of torsion until the reaction of the springrod is equal to the resistance of the wheel P, after which the power of the engine is transmitted directly to the wheel P, in which case a part of the energy of theengine is stored in the spring during the forward stroke and the remaining energy of the engine is expended in doing useful work in overcoming the resistance of the wheel, while on the return stroke of the engine the potential energy stored in the spring-rod is returned to the engine. Moreover, as the greater the resistance the greater the angle of distortion of the spring-rod A", therefore the less the duration of time that the engine is transmitting useful work to the wheel P, and consequently the greater the speed the engine can Thus the re sult is that the time of application of the real load to the engine is inversely proportional to the amount of such load. In this way it is possible for an engine to overcome a resist ance which it could not overcome if such resistance were applied continuously. This is on the same principle which has often been employed in driving an automobile up a grade too steep for it to overcome in the normal manner. In such event it is common to unclutch the engine from the driving-wheels, run the engine until it has acquired a high speed, and then suddenly throw in the clutch, and thus use the energy of the moving parts to drive the vehicle up the grade, and so soon as this has slowed the engine down to a point when it is about ready to stop the clutch is released again and the process repeated. Our device operates on substantially this principle, but is automatic in the application and removal of the load and applies and removes the load at each revolution of the engine, so that a substantially constant number of" revolutions per unit of time may be made by the engine, while the revolutions of the driven wheel may vary inversely according to the resistance encountered. In order that this result may be accomplished, it is important that the springrod or other resilient member be capableof storing the entire energy of the engine for one stroke, for if it could-not then when it had stored a part of it either the engine would stop or the resilient member would break, if the resistance is not too great.

In Figs. 10 and 11 are shown arrangements of the resilient members A, which permit the use of long spring-rods in a relatively short length, this being done by connecting the driving member B to a tube V, to whose opposite ends the rods A are connected, each rod extending the full length of the tube V and beyond the corresponding end of the sane, the driven members being indicated at The self-regulating driving-gear herein described and the combinations thereof are mainly adapted for application to vehicles; but they may also be employed in every other case where their characteristic feature, the selfregulation, is useful-such as, for example, in ships, elevating machinery, lifts and hoists, pumps, machine-tools, &c. Finally, it may be stated that the springs for trans mitting the driving power may also be arranged longitudinally or diagonally of the vehicle, in which cases of course connecting elements or links should be provided for the purpose of transferring the oscillations (or the rotary motion produced by the oscillations) into the plane of the wheels.

Having thus fully described our invention, What we claim is- 1. The combination, with a driving mechanism having a rotating part capable of storing kinetic energy, of automatic mechanism for intermittently applying a load to said driving mechanism during a part of each rotation which part is an inverse function of Y the said load.

2. In a device of the class described, an oscillating part designed to be operated from aprime mover, a driven wheel, a moving part operated by said oscillating part, means for connecting said moving part with the driven wheel on movement in one direction and for disconnecting it on movement" in the opposite direction, and a plurality of spring-rods connecting the oscillating member with said moving part, substantially as described.

3. In a device of the class described, an oscillating arm designed to be operated from a prime mover, a driven wheel, a moving part located in proximity to said driven wheel, means for causing said moving part to be put into engagement with said wheel on movement in one direction, and to be disengaged therefrom on movement in the opposite direction, and a torsion-spring connecting said oscillating arm and moving part, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with a vibratory driving element having a fixed stroke, of a vibra- IOQ tory driven element, a yielding connection between said driving and driven element, and means for converting the vibratory motion of the driven element into a unidirectional movement.

5. The cornbination,witha vibratory driving element, and a driven element, of a yielding connection between the driving and driven elements capable of storing substantially the entire energy of the driving element In witness whereof We have hereunto set for one stroke of the latter. our hands in presence of two witnesses.

6. The combination, with a vibratory driv- WLADIMIR LORENC. mg element having a fixed stroke, of a driven Q element, and a yielding connection between VICTOR said driving and driven elements capable of Witnesses:

storing substantially the entire energy of the FRANK DYER CHESTER,

driving element for one stroke of the latter. VIRAGO LAUD. 

